Indian State Plans to Store Citizen Data on a Blockchain

The state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India has announced a new collaboration with cybersecurity firm WISeKey to securely store citizen data on a blockchain.

Andhra Pradesh, the seventh largest state in India, has announced plans to launch blockchain pilot projects “in various departments” of the state government. Chief among the proof-of-concept pilots is its aim to secure citizen data on a blockchain platform.

With a population of 84 million, the state government points to need to secure the ‘sheer volume of citizen’s information stored in various databases.” To do so, the government is partnering Swiss cybersecurity firm WISeKey wherein the latter will lend its blockchain technology and expertise in the field to secure government-recorded citizen data.

WISeKey founder and CEO Carlos Moreira stated:

To have a pristine vision like putting the Citizen at the center of gravity, and building all the infrastructure around this vision is the key to successfully empower citize4ns to unleash their full potential.

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As reported earlier, Andhra Pradesh has been a proactive early mover in researching blockchain technology, with initiatives including securing a government database with tens of millions of ration cards. “As the internet is prone to cybercrime and hacking, the government has decided to use blockchain technology to avoid security breaches,” an official stated in late 2016.

The state is also looking to store land registry records on a blockchain, with a pilot program in urban areas to rollout before mid-2018.

Following the new partnership, IT advisor to the state’s chief minister JA Chowdary said:

We are looking towards WISeKey to play a leadership role in providing cybersecurity for various initiatives of the government, but also drawing out the vision for smart cities who want to go beyond IoT, automation and use “Deep Tech” algorithmic technology.